The Minimum Wage Conspiracy

People are talking about the minimum wage a lot. They always have. But with the government’s plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, the talk is even more prevalent than usual.

But why now? Why is the government trying to keep us talking about it now? It’s a voter issue, sure, so it gets people out to the polls. But election season is over, and yet the topic is sticking around. What’s so fascinating about it this time?

In fact, given all the talking points and media coverage the issue has received lately, it’s not surprising that most people assume that approximately 30 percent of US workforce earns minimum wage. Presumably something that gets so much attention affects a lot of people, right?

Most of that percentage works in the food and service industry. Good workers earn tips on top of their base pay, which is an incentive to enter and stay in the industry. Adding tips to their pay usually means these workers make more than minimum wage. If we take them out of the number of workers earning minimum wage, the percentage falls to 0.5 percent of the total workforce.